Irfan Pathan Slams Jasprit Bumrah: Just 6/10

As irrespective of the backlash that coaches and former cricketers receive when they criticize, ex Indian all rounder Irfan Pathas could not stop himself when evaluating the role of Jasprit Bumrah in the India 2-2 draw with England in the Anderson Tendulkar Trophy. Bumrah was the only indian to take a five wicket haul that match, taking 2, however, despite taking 14 wickets in the 3-Test series, including two 5 fours at Headingley and Lord, Pathan gave him only 6/10 and said he should be tested at the “level one or two number” because he had failed to perform at the top level.

What did Pathan say?

Pathan critiqued Bumrah by saying that he was using pick and choose pattern and played only 3 out of 5 Tests purposely and that he was holding back with critical situations. A classic case in point: at Lord he bowled only five overs against Joe Root against whom he has taken eleven wickets when an additional over could have changed the mood.

Murphy struck: India won both matches in which Bumrah had not played and lost any game in which he had played a fact Pathan used to point at the issue of responsibility. In the meantime, head coach Gautam Gambhir assured that the decision to sideline Bumrah in two Tests was decided prior to the tour with the sole objective of preserving his fitness and long term availability. Coach Ryan ten Doeschate also underlined that it was not a performance based force that had caused Bumrah to be left out of the final Test; it was an injury precaution caused by having reached the pre arranged limit of workload.

McGrath stands by Bumrah

Even veteran cricketer Sachin Tendulkar joined in to denounce how India keep winning in the absence of a player like Bumrah as nothing but a coincidence adding that the pacer is still exceptional and unbelievable. He underlined the importance of Bumrah to the team in spite of recent criticisms. Moreover, the Australian great Glenn McGrath came out in support of Bumrah being given an off season break, and cited the possibility of long term fatigue as well as the risks of injury in a dense international calendar.

In general, the conversation about the professional performance of Bumrah during this England tour is a mixture of performance evaluation with player workloads management that may bring concerns about the balanced approach to short-term success and well-being of professional sportspeople.

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